


The Space Between

by ImogenSmiley



Series: Reigisa [20]
Category: Free!
Genre: Back to School, Canon Compliant, Emptiness, Established Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei, Established Relationship, First Day of School, GOU TOO OFC BUT STILL, I love these guys, Lonliness, M/M, Missing Friends, New Responsibilities, New School Year, New Year, Post Free! Eternal Summer, Post Graduation, Post Graduation Sadness, Pre Free! Dive To The Future, THE FACT THAT REI AND NAGISA GOT LEFT BEHIND HURT MY SOUL, The Second Year Trio's Friendship in ES was GOALS, Third Year, Writemas, missing people, my boys - Freeform, writemas 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21860032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImogenSmiley/pseuds/ImogenSmiley
Summary: Sometimes, out of habit, you leave enough room for someone that isn't coming. Eventually you might close the gap. Either way, it's okay.
Relationships: Hazuki Nagisa/Ryuugazaki Rei
Series: Reigisa [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531475
Kudos: 2





	The Space Between

Going to school on their first day of third year had been hard. Instead of doing as they usually did, Rei and Nagisa set out early, to walk even further from the school and meet with Gou. She, despite everything, had gone down in the last few days, the redheaded girl looked stunning, made up to the nth degree, and ready and raring to go when the boys came calling for her. She had hugged them with an urgency that neither had expected, but they embraced.

She invited them inside for a mug of tea, her mother could drop them off at the train station. They had over half an hour until they had to be on the platform. They had plenty of time for a small mug of tea each.

They didn’t discuss the elephants in the room. The absence of Rin, the fact that they wouldn’t be meeting Haruka-senpai, or Makoto-senpai for lunch on the roof, the fact that they had to have their first club meeting without them, ever. They didn’t want to say anything, but the weight of those thoughts sat heavily on everyone’s shoulders.

They discussed the most menial of things, how they hoped that their results at the end of second year would mean the triad would be in class together, and how they would inevitably have to attempt to recruit new members. Nagisa had babbled about a demonstration in the clubs and activities showcase. Have Captain Rei on a plinth demonstrating the strokes while Gou-chan narrated and Nagisa splashed water for dramatic effect. They could make it an epic, like the productions in Ancient Greece.

Nagisa continued to describe this production in the car to the train station, and on the train to school, it was only when they got off the train and were faced by the towering gates of their school that he was silenced. His magenta eyes welled up with tears, and he reached for his two best friends, clutching onto their hands.

The trio shared a glance and walked on shaky legs together. They were early, they were always early. Most of the people on the grounds were either first years, or thirds. They approached the class roster and hugged one another. All three of them had made it into Class 3-A. Top of the entire school. And, in true Rei fashion, his name was the top of the list with the highest test score average over-all. He grinned, his chest puffing out with pride. But, they all seemed to look over for the sheet of paper that should have been above their year’s roster, to see where their senpai would be. Only for it to dawn upon them.

They were top of the school. Top of the entire school, there was nobody older than them. This was it.

Nagisa didn’t hesitate. He took hold of his boyfriend’s hand, and Rei took hold of Gou, the three ran down the familiar halls of the high school, in a human chain. They laughed together, squealing in excitement, they were in their final year, this was happening! They were on the final lap of the High School experience and had so much to look forward to.

They, like usual, were the first three in the class. They claimed three seats that would form a triangle, Nagisa and Gou sitting together in the back, and Rei in front of his boyfriend. Gou fished out her new smartphone and took a selfie with the boys, instantly uploading it to social media. The boys’ phones each buzzed.

The picture had been a one-shot wonder, depicting the trio beaming with anticipation. The caption was short but sweet, “Third Year Here We Come, Missing Makoto-senpai, Haruka-senpai and Onii-chan already!” Everyone was tagged, and their phones started buzzing with notifications. People commenting on the picture, wishing the remaining members of the Iwatobi Swim Club luck in their final year of study: from former competitors, to family friends and relatives. But nothing mattered until they saw the icon for Makoto Tachibana. He’d left a long, rambling comment about how emotional he was that he wasn’t going to be there with them, and wished them luck in their final year, reiterating that they had to stay in touch.

It was then that all three typed replies, but only “thank you’s” to the spam. To Makoto-senpai, they each wrote paragraphs, before shutting their phones in their desks, mobile data disconnected.

When lunch rolled around. They went to the roof as they always did, leaving the two spaces beside the wall vacant. Whenever the door opened, all three turned to look and see who was there. Whether it was them. Even though they knew.

Then, at the end of the day, they did the same thing in the club room. The pensive waiting, anticipation and hesitation lasted ten minutes before they realised they really could speak up. They could start talking about their plan for new members. Without two more swimmers, they couldn’t form a relay team. Without two more members they couldn’t carry on and continue competing as team. The club would be disbanded.

They had a lot to do, and they had to start taking the next step, even though they were still thinking back to their senpai and whether they would have made the same decisions. They’d left the team behind and they wouldn’t be able to re-join them for a year. The twelve months that split their ages, felt like thousands of miles. They needed to just fill the space, the time, and do their best to enjoy what they had until they’d reunite.


End file.
